RE 5040 Fall 2011

I liked how you included re-reading and noticed how fluency increases when a child re-reads text. I also liked how you incorporated echo reading, choral reading and readers theater into you intervention plan. Nice work!

Sarah Atkins/Carla Beasley - koppenhaverd, Tue Nov 8 16:02

Discuss Sarah and Carla's reading fluency presentation here.
- reading fluency - Ginger Landers, Wed Dec 14 23:53
- Re: Sarah Atkins/Carla Beasley - Ashley Joyce, Sat Dec 10 11:56
  
  Good work! I like how you used multiple strategies. It's always great to see what works and what may not. I found it interesting that the boys read louder than the girls. And I agree that modeling... more
- Re: Sarah Atkins/Carla Beasley - Nakita Carson, Wed Dec 7 19:54
  
  Great job on your presentation! I love reader's theater and poetry in the classroom!
- Multiple strategies to increase fluency - sarah patten, Sun Dec 4 17:06
  
  Super work! Readers' Theater is fun!! That is another great way to have the students work on fluency. I like how filming the students would help them be their own evaluators. This is more beneficial... more
- - RE: strategies - Rachel Hicks, Tue Dec 13 19:50
    
    My experience with Reader's Theater is limited. I have only used in once, and that was for tutoring. But I will say that my students loved it. I love the idea of filming the students. This will allow ... more
- Sarah and Carla - sarah hutson, Thu Dec 1 00:04
  
  I enjoyed hearing your research presentation on using multiple strategies to increase reading fluency in the classroom. I have seen echo reading and choral reading used in the classrom quite... more
- - Reply to Sarah - atkinssh, Mon Dec 5 10:25
    
    Readers' Theater is something that was fairly new to me. I had heard/seen it in the classroom, but I had never tried using it with a small group of students in an EC resource setting. I was more... more
  - - Re: Reply to Sarah - Nakita Carson, Wed Dec 7 19:57
      
      Reader's Theater can be so much fun! The kids really get into it! With Imagine it we don't have a lot of room to incorporate things like readers theater and I really miss being able to.
  - Reply to Sarah - beasleycm, Sat Dec 3 11:03
    
    Echo and choral reading are great to use with students. I also believe that Reader's Theater is a great strategy to use as well. With this, students are doing everything themselves. They are engaged... more
  - - Re: Reply to Sarah - Nakita Carson, Wed Dec 7 20:00
      
      The funny thing is they have so much fun with it that they don't even realize that they are learning while they do it! When I was able to do more things like readers theater in my room my kids wanted ... more
- Re: Sarah Atkins/Carla Beasley - Ruth Ann Timmons, Mon Nov 28 23:40
  
  Great presentation! It looks like both of you provided your students with a great deal of reading, sharing, and growing opportunities during this research. Fluency is something that practice seems to ... more
- - Reply to Ruth Ann - beasleycm, Sat Dec 3 11:11
    
    Each strategy proved to work throughout the study. I use echo and choral reading during whole group instruction. Reader's theater is however the most liked among students. I believe this is because... more
  - - increasing reading fluency intensity - koppenhaverd, Sun Dec 4 11:50
      
      One of the principles of RTI is to provide increased intensity to students who require something more than classmates (e.g., the kids in this study who were struggling with fluency). One way the... more
  - Reply to Ruth Ann - atkinssh, Tue Nov 29 16:19
    
    Thanks, Ruth Ann! My students definitely loved the Readers' Theater. They really got into it. I believe that was their favorite. I think that each of the strategies were effective and can be useful... more
  - - reading levels - Ruth Ann Timmons, Wed Nov 30 00:36
      
      It is a challenge to find reading passages for Readers' Theater for my kindergarten students. I know there has to be some out there. When using echo reading and choral reading strategies, I too often ... more
  - comprehension - Ruth Ann Timmons, Tue Nov 29 00:12
    
    I know your focus was on improving fluency but I wondered if you noticed any improvement in comprehension as your students became more comfortable with the readings?
  - - Reply to Ruth Ann - atkinssh, Wed Nov 30 00:15
      
      I was able to notice some improvement with comprehension with both groups of my students after Readers' Theater. Students had six opportunities to practice the text, reading silently, as well as... more
    - - seeing comprehension - Ruth Ann Timmons, Wed Nov 30 12:13
        
        Wow, you are right. Even without formally assessing comprehension, it sounds like your students gave a great deal of both verbal and visual cues that indicated they were in fact understanding what... more
      - Reply to Ruth Ann - beasleycm, Sat Dec 3 11:14
        
        I saw improvement in comprehension after each strategy was used. However, it improved the most after reader's theater. Students were able to explain questioning more than what they had previously... more
        Re: Reply to Ruth Ann - Ruth Ann Timmons, Tue Dec 6 16:47
        
        Sounds like another reason why reader's theater is a strategy worth implementing.
- Multiple strategies - Marlee Wright, Mon Nov 28 23:36
  
  I enjoyed reading your research, and was really interested in your different strategies. I often use echo reading and choral reading in kindergarten. Last year I had an exceptionally high group, so... more
- - Re: Multiple strategies - Ashley Joyce, Tue Dec 13 21:39
    
    I teach Kindergarten as well. I would love to do readers theatre... but where do you find the time? :)
  - Reply to Marlee - beasleycm, Sat Dec 3 11:05
    
    My students were most engaged in Reader's Theater. They got to be up instead of sitting at a table. They had fun while practicing and performing their scripts.
  - Reply to Marlee - atkinssh, Tue Nov 29 16:15
    
    I believe my students enjoyed all three strategies, but I will have to say that Readers' Theater was the one that they really got into. They read with so much more enthusiasm and they were very... more
  - - important informal observations - koppenhaverd, Sun Dec 4 11:57
      
      It is really important that both Sarah and Carla have observed informally that kids are really tuned in in a different way during Readers Theater. Engagement predicts gains in reading comprehension... more
    - - informal observations - sarah patten, Sun Dec 4 17:09
        
        It seems if we are acuttely aware of the problem that informal observations are extremely informitive!
    - Readers Theater - Marlee Wright, Tue Nov 29 22:32
      
      That makes sense to me. When I taught second grade it was one of the favorites for my students, too. They really liked being "on stage" in a way. It was a real motivator for them. Did you have to... more
    - - Reply to Marlee - beasleycm, Sat Dec 3 11:07
        
        I found my scripts online at Waltke's web. They have this for different grade levels. There is also much more to use with students. All I had to do is choose a script and print it.
      - Reply to Marlee - atkinssh, Tue Nov 29 23:48
        
        The text that I used for my RT was found online. The website is http://www.timelessteacherstuff.com/readerstheater/ if you want to check it out. There are so many! I just found one that was on the... more
      - Re: Reply to Marlee - crousejs, Thu Dec 1 22:35
        
        I enjoyed “attending” your presentation. I have used echo reading on a daily basis for my struggling first graders. I have also used Reader’s Theatre with my students and they really do begin to... more
- Reading Fluency - Kara Scott, Mon Nov 28 16:26
  
  Great Job Ladies! I also use choral reading and echo reading in my own classroom to work with students who struggle with fluency. After viewing your research I would like to take a look at finding... more
- - model reading - Ruth Ann Timmons, Tue Nov 29 00:06
    
    I too believe that a good model is vital for a child to grow as a reader. Echo and choral reading gives students that model and builds their confidence without putting them on the spot. Readers'... more
  - - confidence - Rachel Hicks, Tue Dec 13 19:56
      
      Most students that struggle with reading tend to have lower self-esteem. It is crucial for teachers to find different ways to boost their confidence. I agree with Ruth Ann when she says that "echo... more
    - - re: confidence - Ginger Landers, Wed Dec 14 23:58
        
        Yes, I agree echo and choral reading does help kids get practice reading aloud without too much attention on themselves. It seems to be the best alternative to reading one-one-one with a tutor,... more
  - Reply to Kara - beasleycm, Mon Nov 28 19:12
    
    I think that using a tape recorder would also be beneficial. However, I have not used this strategy yet. I need to make myself do this for my students. It could really help them push to the next... more
  - - Re: Reply to Kara - Kara Scott, Fri Dec 2 16:18
      
      I agree. I think that if they heard the way they sounded it would make sense to them what we are asking them to do.
  - Reply to Kara - atkinssh, Mon Nov 28 18:55
    
    I think that Readers' Theater is an excellent strategy to use with all students. I even had one first grade student participating in Readers' Theater. Given, he needed more support than some of the... more
- Reading Fluency - Rachel Hicks, Sun Nov 27 18:23
  
  I am glad that you shared the fact that you had to tweak your research question. I think you all did a great job with implementing so many different types of reading strategies. How often did your... more
- - Reply to Rachel - beasleycm, Mon Nov 28 19:16
    
    I use reader's theater in my classroom frequently. For the research project, it was small group and easier to do. However, I also use it during Teacher Directed Reading. This is also a script I got... more
  - - Re: Reply to Rachel - crousejs, Thu Dec 1 22:47
      
      I went to the website that you mentioned because I knew that I needed to incorporate Reader’s Theatre in my lesson plans more frequently so that I could help build their fluency and now that I... more
  - Reply to Rachel - atkinssh, Mon Nov 28 18:41
    
    My students in 1st through 3rd grade changed books each day. There were 2 reading trials implemented with each book. My fifth graders read 2 different poems each day, but with two trials for each... more
- Re: Sarah Atkins/Carla Beasley - Ashley Montgomery, Fri Nov 25 12:38
  
  I thought your research on reading fluency was interesting. I use a lot of echo and choral reading in my own classroom. I don't use reader's theator very often but I am intested in seeing if it would ... more
- - building fluency - Ruth Ann Timmons, Wed Nov 30 00:17
    
    I agree that having students tape record themselves reading is a fun way for them to practice. In the past, I have had students read using the Smart Board and microphone which is connected to our... more
  - Reply to Ashley - atkinssh, Mon Nov 28 18:31
    
    I had never tried Readers' Theater with my students before. I had tried Echo and Choral reading with students before and knew its value. Readers' Theater has really opened a new world for me to help... more
- Fluency with Readers' Theater - Amanda Solesbee, Tue Nov 22 23:48
  
  Fluency is a very common issue with many grade levels. The more you work at it, the better the students will get- if taught and assessed at the right instructional level. I am dealing with this right ... more
- - readers' theater - sarah patten, Sun Dec 4 17:15
    
    Readers' Theater seems to always be well received by the students. Whenever you are in a "show"-students love it for the most part! Could you have the students create commercial breaks during the... more
  - - Re: readers' theater - whitney fisher, Tue Dec 13 18:04
      
      That's an awesome idea- with the commercial! It also helps students be comfortable of talking in front of a lot of people. Students can gain confidence in practicing the theater and commercial. You... more
  - Reply to Amanda - atkinssh, Wed Nov 23 10:38
    
    I know what you are saying about the students in the second and third tier. Those students who seem to be making no progress may not be getting the interventions that they need. I know this is true... more
  - - Reply to Atkinssh again - Amanda Solesbee, Wed Nov 23 21:54
      
      Yes, just going by the 15 point discrepancy is a bummer...however, the "tier" steps are not all that great either. The advantage is that you can get those kids that need EC instruction tested when... more
  - Response to Fluency with Readers' Theater - beasleycm, Wed Nov 23 10:15
    
    With this research project, we waited until the last two weeks to do the Readers' Theater intervention. I think this was helpful because they had two other strategies implemented with them before... more
- fluency - Tonya Isenhour, Tue Nov 22 20:40
  
  It sounds like you were very thorough in your research. You did IRI at beginning and end, you compared journal entries, and timed reading trials. You are both going the extra mile for those students... more
- - Reply to Tonya - atkinssh, Wed Nov 30 00:19
    
    Thanks, Tonya! We hope it all pays off in the end! We plan to keep up these interventions now that we see it is actually making a difference.
  - Response to Fluency - beasleycm, Wed Nov 23 10:00
    
    Thank you! It takes more time to do the IRIs but in the end it is worth it. The IRI gives you thorough results.
- Re: Sarah Atkins/Carla Beasley - MaryBeth, Tue Nov 22 09:32
  
  I enjoyed your presentation! Our group studied fluency as well, but only focused on one strategy (repeated poetry readings)and I like that you tried 3 different interventions. Did you find that the... more
- - Response to MaryBeth - beasleycm, Wed Nov 23 10:22
    
    With my group, I found the readers' theater script online at Waltke's Web, 2nd Grade. I used the The Three Billy Goats Gruff for the script because of interest level and it had the same number of... more
  - - Reader's Theater - MaryBeth, Tue Nov 29 08:09
      
      I checked out the Waltke's Web site. WOW! They have a ton of Reader's Theater scripts. I've been out of teaching for four years now, and sometimes I am amazed at how many more resources there are on... more
  - Response to Mary Beth - atkinssh, Tue Nov 22 12:00
    
    My students absolutely loved Readers' Theater. I used a familiar story for my 1st through 3rd graders, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I found it online and it was already split up into parts; there... more
  - - Re: Response to Mary Beth - crousejs, Thu Dec 1 23:02
      
      I could not survive first grade without my whisper phones! One of the ways we use them is to practice sounds of letters. I went to a Reading Academy workshop and I can still remember the presenter... more
    - Whisper Phones - MaryBeth, Tue Nov 29 08:13
      
      Love the whisper phone idea. What a great way to let them practice! I like that you used a familiar story for Reader's theater...kind of gives it a new twist. It's pretty cool that you can find... more
    - - Reply to Mary Beth - atkinssh, Wed Nov 30 00:23
        
        Mary Beth, I shared this link with someone else on the threaded discussion. I'm not sure what grade you teach, but there are a tremendous amount of Readers' Theater text that are already divided into ... more
      - website - MaryBeth, Wed Nov 30 10:24
        
        Thank you so much! I know finding materials for reader's theater can sometimes be the most difficult part of implementing it because if you can't find the materials, often you have to end up adapting ... more
- Sarah and Carla - Whitney Fisher, Mon Nov 21 21:01
  
  I like how you had two very different groups that you were studying in your classrooms. I think it's amazing how you had a total of three interventions for a total of six weeks. You were able to... more
- - Reply to Whitney - atkinssh, Tue Nov 22 12:28
    
    Comparing the three interventions was very valuable; each intervention was focused on increasing reading fluency, but the way students responded to them differed. They were more engaged during... more
  - - Re: Reply to Whitney - whitney fisher, Sun Dec 11 15:15
      
      My students have really liked Readers Theater because they get to be like the character. They also have to be involved and paying attention because they need to know when they are supposed to read... more
- Reading Fluency - beasleylm, Mon Nov 21 17:43
  
  Great presentation! I really enjoyed it and I liked the way that you used the different strategies in the 3 different weeks instead of doing the same strategy the entire time. As a 4th grade teacher... more
- - whisper readers - Marlee Wright, Tue Nov 29 23:16
    
    Where did you get your whisper phones? Did you make them? I have thought about trying to make some, but I've wondered if they were really effective. Do you like them...or maybe more importantly, do... more
  - - Re: whisper readers - beasleylm, Wed Nov 30 07:22
      
      Our school provided them for us. Some of my kids use them every single day and some of them do not like to use them. I do not require them to use them if they do not want to. I have one student who... more
  - Reply to Lori - atkinssh, Tue Nov 22 12:30
    
    I also used whisper phones for Readers' Theater to allow students time to read silently and practice their own parts. My younger students love them and will use them without hesitation. The three... more
- response to Sarah and Carla - Lori Vestal, Mon Nov 21 17:31
  
  Wow! 192 students with 72% Free and reduced lunch. I think it was interesting that you used three different types of fluency methods to increase fluecy as well as different grade levels. I wondered... more
- - Re: response to Sarah and Carla - atkinssh, Tue Nov 22 12:35
    
    When we were first thinking about our research desigin, one of the questions that came to mind was which intervention would be the most effective. However, after some advisement from Dr. Koppenhaver, ... more
  - - response - Lori Vestal, Thu Nov 24 11:22
      
      That is great that your EC students were able to also make gains with fluency. They need so much reptition to become fluent. I agree in that it different methods work differently for each student.... more
- Reader's Theater - burchamal, Mon Nov 21 16:41
  
  Good Job on the presentation. I've found that in fourth grade, fluency is something that even my higher level reading students tend to need guidance. I think Reader's Theater would be the best... more
- - echo/choral reading - Marlee Wright, Mon Nov 28 23:40
    
    I wondered about the echo reading for fifth graders, too - I would have thought they would enjoy the choral readings, but I did wonder if they'd balk at echo reading. We do use it a lot at the lower... more
  - - Choral Reading - burchamal, Sat Dec 10 07:51
      
      We took our 4th graders on a field trip to Heritage Theater in Winston Salem. There they are given scripts and perform a play. There is A LOT of choral and echo reading within the play and the kids... more
  - Reply - atkinssh, Tue Nov 22 12:43
    
    My fifth grade students were not embarassed, actually. Because they were used to each other and have been coming to my classroom together since the beginning of the year, they were already friends... more
  - - making adjustments - Ruth Ann Timmons, Wed Nov 30 00:56
      
      When working with students, as all of us know, it is important to constantly monitor and adjust our instruction based on their needs. I think this includes paying attention to their interest level,... more
    - - another overlooked fluency strategy - koppenhaverd, Sun Dec 4 12:02
        
        Anyone who is 30 or older probably went to school when and where no one taught reading fluency. My guess is (nearly) all of us read fluently. The way that we became that way was reading tons of stuff ... more
      - Re: another overlooked fluency strategy - Nakita Carson, Wed Dec 7 20:04
        
        I remember we did reading groups on our levels in a basal. Most of our interaction with books came when my teachers did read alouds with us.
  - Reader's Theater - MaryBeth, Tue Nov 22 09:37
    
    I was wondering the same thing about reader's theater. I would think that the upper elementary grades would enjoy it the most as compared to choral or echo reading.
  - - Reply to MaryBeth - beasleycm, Wed Nov 23 10:26
      
      Echo and Choral reading are effective strategies to use with students. However, I have not tried it with upper elementary students. Even with my second graders, they began to get bored with it after... more
    - - Re: Reply to MaryBeth - whitney fisher, Mon Dec 12 18:10
        
        I have noticed that too! Many times older students do not want to read together as a group and so they try to pretend and act like they are reading. They do enjoy having their own parts to speak in... more

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RE 5040 Fall 2011